The Psychologists for Peace Interest Group (PFP) Peace Project Award encourages a wider interest in research and practice related to peaceful means of resolving conflict, understanding and preventing aggressive behaviour and the fostering of harmonious relationships at global, inter-group and interpersonal levels.

The award is made annually to assist a student enrolled in an accredited fourth year psychology program or Masters by coursework psychology program in carrying out an empirical project on a peace related topic or disseminating its findings.

Administration

The Psychologists for Peace Interest Group is responsible for the Award and for funding the Award.

The Psychologists for Peace Interest Group will appoint a selection committee of at least three members from different states who have demonstrated interest and research expertise, to be responsible for recommending an appropriate Award recipient to the Board.

Supervisors of projects entered for the Award will not be eligible to serve as members of the selection committee.

The selection committee may recommend that more than one Award be granted if there are projects of sufficient merit and sufficient funds to support more than one Award.

Candidates will be notified of the outcome of their nominations by February.

The names of successful candidates will be announced in InPsych along with the university and the name of the principal research supervisor and the title of the research project.

Eligibility

Nominees need not be members of the Society.

Students enrolled in an accredited fourth year psychology program or a Masters by coursework program, who have conducted a research project on a peace related topic, to the purpose of the Award, are eligible to nominate.

The supervisor/s of the project must submit a statement supporting the quality of the project.

Nomination process

Nominations will be called for annually by a notice in the June InPsych and by letters to Heads of Departments with accredited fourth year programs.

Nominations must be received by the Award coordinator by the date set in InPsych and an acknowledgment will be sent on receipt of each entry.

One (1) copy of the nomination should be submitted.

The award application should include :

A cover page showing the project title, the name of the student and address for correspondence, the course and institution and the name, and email address of the supervisor.

An abbreviated version of the thesis, excluding appendices and reduced to approximately half its length.

A paragraph explaining how the project contributes to the aim of the Award, (as stated in the above criteria), and the anticipated method of disseminating the findings

Selection criteria

Projects will be judged on their scientific merit and their potential contribution to theory or practice in:

the peaceful resolution of conflict;

understanding and preventing aggressive behaviour; and

the fostering of harmonious relationships whether at global, intergroup or interpersonal levels.

Value of the award

The successful candidate for the PFP Peace Project Award will receive an award of $500.

Tim Howle, Australian National University for Honors thesis entitled "The Differential Impact of Ethnic Threat and Ecological Threat on Ethnocentrism and Prejudice" (supervised by Dr Boris Bizumic)

2008

Irene Giaprakis, School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University for Honours research entitled "The contribution of emotional intelligence and its components in the prediction of forgiveness" (supervised by Professor Eleanor Wertheim)

2007

not awarded

2006

Peggy Koutsos, School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University for postgraduate diploma research entitled “Paths to interpersonal forgiveness: The role of personality, dispositional forgiveness and situational forgiveness”

2005

Luisa Rossi for 'The Relationship between Language Skills and Outcomes of the PATHS Curriculum'